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1
Arkham Horror Core Set Review - Guardians
Oct 21 2016 09:20 PM |
mnBroncos
in Articles
Arkham Horror Core Review
Welcome to the core set reviews of the brand new game Arkham Horror: The Card Game.We are going to be reviewing all the cards in the core set, starting with the Guardian cards. It is important to know that this is first impressions of a game majority of us have not even played yet so takes these reviews with that in mind as we will likely be wrong with some cards
.Without wasting your time any longer with boring information lets get straight to the reviews.
Roland Banks
Radix - 5 out of 5
Roland is really good. He has nice well-rounded skills, and his one low skill isn’t too important for him. His ability is really good, as he should be able to kill enemies at least every other round, so he can still advance the game while staying alive. His Elder Sign depends on the location but can be a huge boost, of course it gets weaker as you get closer to finishing. His weakness doesn’t impact what you can do, it just slows you down a bit.
Roland has access to all neutral and Guardian cards, plus Seeker cards up to level 2. So the only card he is missing from the Seeker pool is Cryptic Research. This gives him the good weapons and extra damage from Guardian, higher investigative skill and utility effects from Seeker, and 3 events/skills from both classes that give you clues. He also is the only character with a combination of Skill-boosting Talents that can be used on every Skill, every other Investigator is missing 1.
Overall Roland is a well-rounded Investigator who is proficient in the main ways to stay alive and win. He is well suited to solo play and focusing on damage in a group.
dboeren - 4 out of 5
Solid stats, his weakest stat is the one he’ll use the least which is good. Gets a free clue when he kills something. I expect that to happen probably a few times per game but a clue actually needs to be there for it to work so it can misfire too. Doesn’t seem to have a lot of combo potential.
mnBroncos - 4 out of 5
This is probably the most vanilla investigator but that isn’t a bad thing. Good stats all around, I am little more worried about the agility than other reviewers. Guardians seemed to be the head fighters and with a low agility means you could be taking a lot of damage fast if run up against enemies not ready to deal with, and can’t evade them. Being able to gain extra clues though for doing what you already want to be doing is great.
MightyToenail - 5 out of 5
Roland’s outstanding ability shores up a major weakness of his faction, investigating. This makes him a versatile well-rounded hero who can just beat the crap out of enemies while still discovering clues in the process. Roland is a strong, generic hero, which is exactly what you want in the core set.
Ironswimsuit - 4 out of 5
Sherman Abrams Roland Banks is a super tank. There could be some challenges in the off chance a player needs to evade, but that’s why Bulletproof Vests exist. His weakness isn’t all that bad unless it’s drawn late. That said, this guy finds clues in the ruin of his enemies as a matter of course.
MitchG - 5 out of 5
While I hate to give a core box investigator 5/5, Roland I think, deserves it. He is definitely vanilla, but in terms of investigator power, I think that is a good thing. He does what guardian investigators are supposed to do, and he does it well. We have seen these type of ‘rock’ style mains in many games appear in core sets, and they always hang around.
27 out of 30
Roland's .38 Special
Radix - 5 out of 5
This is the second most powerful weapon in the game after the Shotgun, but it has more uses and can be wielded one-handed. At the very worst it is a .45 Automatic that is 1 cheaper. When there is a clue (and there usually is) it gets even stronger. It also has a good spread of Skill icons: you can get +2 to Combat or Agility, or +1 to Will or Intellect. This is a flexible and powerful card and the best Signature asset in my opinion.
dboeren - 5 out of 5
Obviously a better weapon than .45, but only works with Roland. Consider yourself lucky if you draw it and nominate yourself to go in anytime monsters are guarding a location with clues, or unrevealed locations which probably have clues too.
mnBroncos - 5 out of 5
Roland gets a great weapon to round out the guardians. Since only will have one in your deck though it will be interesting how many other weapons you will want to be running along side this. Really strong at clearing out rooms before you collect the clues.
MightyToenail - 4 out of 5
I know this is much better than the .45, but I'm beginning to get the feeling that a lot of cards are better than the .45. This guy is almost assured to deal damage, but it still relies on limited ammo, so a four is all I can give it, considering it is a special investigator card.
Ironswimsuit - 5 out of 5
What they said. I want to see this in my opening hand all the time.
MitchG - 5 out of 5
Not much to say. Being his signature weapon, I would expect nothing less than amazing stats. In general I love the idea behind these sorts of things. I couldn’t get into the 40k theme, but the ‘signature squad’ was the coolest idea ever, and having it enter this game with these and the signature weaknesses excites me a lot
29 out of 50
.45 Automatic
Radix - 3 out of 5
The .45 Automatic is consistent in providing combat bonus and damage without condition. It is somewhat expensive to make up for this, and it also only gets four shots without Extra Ammunition. If you need a gun and this is available, it is a solid pick. The Agility icon doesn’t excite me, Roland won’t be doing much running.
dboeren - 4 out of 5
Anything that lets you do extra damage is going to be useful, it saves actions, reduces danger, and gets more mileage out of cards you discard as boosters. Also it comes with a lot of charges. I wouldn’t expect to want to discard it for the icons so it doesn’t really matter that they’re poor. It’s a card that rewards what Roland already wants to do and makes him do it quite well, so I expect it to be a staple for his decks.
mnBroncos - 2 out of 5
The thing here is going to be how important getting a weapon out early is. Comparing this to Roland’s gun you will never want to pay 4 for this. I think it will be more curious for decks that can splash Guardian cards that don’t have access to better weapons, but I see this one getting replaced quickly when card pool grows. It is the baseline weapon.
MightyToenail - 2 out of 5
I just can't justify spending four on this. The effect is okay, but only four ammo means that it won't be able to do much. Perhaps this might be an okay splash card for Survivor or Seeker, when the Dunwich heroes come out.
Ironswimsuit - 3 out of 5
Apparently .45s are slightly less useful than .38s. This card is expensive, but seems appropriately costed. Any investigator with any access to guardian can use this. I like the agility icon. It makes me think of an investigator throwing a gun at an enemy to make a quick escape.
MitchG - 2 out of 5
4 resources is a lot. Vanilla effects can be powerful to be certain, but I can’t see this staying in decks much past the core set days.
16 out of 30
Physical Training
Radix - 3 out of 5
Roland already has high Combat skill, but he could always use some Will boost. I assume there will be Treacheries and Enemies that require you to make a Will check or else take Horror or something equally bad. This is good for Skids as he could use boosts in both of these stats. I think these Talents will get better the higher your difficulty is.
dboeren - 3 out of 5
I agree w/ Radix that these type cards are often better for investigators that have the cards faction as their “off†faction rather than their main one as they will more likely need help on both of the skills that it boosts. It also requires plenty of cash to get good use out of it so Rogues will probably be fans. This is probably one of the better of the set as both skills it affects can have bad effects of failing
mnBroncos - 3 out of 5
Depending on how choked you are on resources this can do a lot of work throughout a game. If you are going to be discarding cards for boosts on test it might prove much more useful spending resources insteads depending on if your deck has more access to resources or cards.
MightyToenail - 1 out of 5
Once again, another card that just costs too much without enough effect. Especially remember that you have to use this before the token is revealed, taking away what could have been an interesting card and turning it into binder fodder. Edit: Wow, nobody else is rating this low? I’m kind of shocked.
Ironswimsuit - 3 out of 5
I get why this card exists, but it doesn’t mean I have to like it. It’s boring and functional and probably needs to cost two to put into play. I like the icons and will most likely play it out of main faction.
MitchG - 2 out of 5
I would give this a 1, except it can be super useful with non-guardian investigators that maybe need a boost or can ramp well. Double icon on the boost gives it a bit of extra use too. Again I can’t see this being in decks after a couple packs come out.
15 out of 30
Beat Cop (basic)
Radix - 4 out of 5
This can absorb 1 damage and sanity before popping to deal 1 damage that will not miss. You can pop it early if you need to, but until it pops it also boosts your combat strength. It is a bit pricey, but it does what you need to.
dboeren - 2 out of 5
He can probably absorb one hit and then deal one point, or maybe absorb 2 hits. I’m just not convinced that’s 4 resources of value. Icons aren’t strong either.
mnBroncos - 3 out of 5
Maybe underrating this card, but only being able to absorb a damage and a horror before you use its ability to deal just one damage, seems like it could easily not be worth the 4 resources for it Having a constant plus one combat could be the real reason you play him just to keep that constant plus one for as long as possible.
MightyToenail - 3 out of 5
I'm going a little higher than my colleagues on this one, mainly based on the versatility of the card. You can't look at each individual thing. You have to look at all the things it can do to truly see the value. Edit: But picking this over guard dog is tough admittedly. Run both?
Ironswimsuit - 2 out of 5
This guy needs another fist icon for me to care enough to throw him away. The static skill boost is nice, but I don’t know if he’ll be on the table long enough for it to matter, assuming I can afford to play him. Hitting an enemy not engaged with you is good, though.
MitchG - 3 out of 5
I am thinking this is the one card I am either going to go back and wish I rated a 1 or a 5. I could easily see this becoming a super versatile staple or absolute binder fodder. The answer depends tremendously on what other allies end up looking like. Regardless this will be interesting to revisit after a cycle or two and see how our perceptions of core set cards have changed. Beat Cop is very much a jack of all trades card, but in games like this that can be super useful to have it never be truly dead in any scenario
16 out of 30
First Aid
Radix - 5 out of 5
I can’t think of a reason this would ever be in my deck unless FFG releases something even more powerful. It can help get get Horror off of you, and you don’t have much sanity to spare. It can also heal up your damaged fellow investigators.
dboeren - 4 out of 5
A very useful and flexible card since it can heal both kinds of damage. This will help keep all of your team in the game and is well worth the cost. The limiting factor is having to be in the same location, so keep together or you’ll waste extra actions meeting up.
mnBroncos - 5 out of 5
If playing with 3-4 players maybe not as good since having to be at same location can be a real downside, however, for 2 resources and the card getting to heal a combination of 3 damage or horror, with the possibility of more if get cards that add supplies.
MightyToenail - 5 out of 5
have yet to come up with a situation in which I would not want this card. Particularly the ability to heal either type of damage is awesome (and a little shaky thematically I might add).
Ironswimsuit - 3 out of 5
I should probably rate this higher , but I’m in a solo play, Roland-already-has-bulletproof-vest-sanity-is-for-dopes state of mind right now. First Aid is always useful, but it feels more useful early on in a campaign or for supporting investigators. It’s a fantastic co-op card.
MitchG - 2 out of 5
Not having played the game yet, I cannot say with any certainty how frequently I’m going to be wishing I could heal. In general life-gaining style cards are horrible in card games, so as a baseline I have to assume that will be the case here as well. I know in LOTR things like Lore can be absolutely huge, but overall I tend to value life gain cards really poorly. The first aid is really just a band-aid fix.
24 out of 30
Machete
Radix - 4 out of 5
If you can keep satisfy the condition, this is a cheaper .45 Automatic that doesn’t run out of ammo. If you start to get overwhelmed it drops in usefulness, but there is always Dynamite Blast for that. The Combat icon also makes it more relevant than the automatic to what Roland is trying to do.
dboeren - 4 out of 5
An unlimited use .45 as long as you aren’t ganged up on sounds good to me, and it costs less. If you have both, you can save ammo only for big battles, or you can bring action cards to deal with that situation.
mnBroncos - 5 out of 5
Compare this to .45 and makes me really think I will never use the .45. You get the about the same benefit for cheaper and unlimited use.
MightyToenail - 5 out of 5
This card is amazing. Just amazing. Like why wouldn't you want it? A cheaper .45 that doesn't use ammo, with only a small downside. Definitely the main weapon of choice, with maybe a gun as a sidearm only.
Ironswimsuit - 3 out of 5
Machete is great for solo mini guys or for cleaning up. Its drawback is obvious. Take advantage of engagement rules, if possible. Skids has at least one of these floating around.
MitchG - 4 out of 5
Unlimited uses are far better and worth the cost. The conditional ability is nice, but overall it’s just an investment in increasing your stat line. Relatively cheap for the length of the effect.
25 out of 30
Guard Dog
Radix - 4 out of 5
This is man’s best friend against physical threats. If the enemies you are facing kill this in one shot it saved you a beating and dealt some in return. If it takes them two shots to kill the dog, it is doing good work. If it takes three shots to kill this guy, he is super efficient. So generally save the dog for when you are taking 1 damage to get more triggers.
mnBroncos - 4 out of 5
Absorb damage and then deal it back, seems great and at a fair price. Can also see this being a heavy splash in other factions that get access to guardian cards because gives you an advantage in combat.
MightyToenail - 4 out of 5
Okay, yeah, Beat Cop not looking so hot right now. This is just plain awesome. It can soak quite a bit of damage without much trouble at all. And the direct damage back is well worth the money indeed.
dboeren - 4 out of 5
Much better than Beat Cop as it both soaks and deals more damage, and cost less. Not as good against Horror though so in some adventures that might be a drawback.
Ironswimsuit - 4 out of 5
Any time I’ve seen a dog in a Lovecraft story it knows to attack the grotesque(don’t steal from libraries), making them either super sane or completely crazy. I love this card. I’ll be quoting the South Park movie everytime I play it because I’m not very mature.
MitchG - 5 out of 5
I’ll one up everyone else on this one. The cost is right. 1 resource for 1 damage is a price I’ll pay all day long.
25 out of 30
Evidence!
Radix - 5 out of 5
This is pure gold in its simplicity. 1. You need clues to win 2. This gets you clues for cheap with no actions Conclusion: This helps you win the game efficiently. Fulfilling the condition is easy, it is Roland’s greatest strength and basically acts as a second trigger of his ability.
mnBroncos - 4 out of 5
I love this but I am not hundred percent sold that it should get a perfect 5. Depending on scenario and locations that are out doubling up on the clue gain may not be that great and you are using up a card that could impact the game on just gaining a clue. Sure need clues to win the game so maybe this will end up being auto include.
MitchG - 5 out of 5
Not much to say, this is just super strong. Zero risk since it has fast, and a quick bonus that is really cost effective.
dboeren - 5 out of 5
Doubles up on Roland’s ability, getting a clue for only 1 resource is a good deal and so is double icons if you need it for something else. Simple and solid.
MightyToenail - 5 out of 5
Not much to say here. Autoinclude for all Guardian or Guardian splash decks.
Ironswimsuit - 5 out of 5
Yes, please. Great ability, action economy, and look at those icons!
29 out of 30
Dodge
Radix - 5 out of 5
Getting attacked by enemies causes you to lose the game. This stops that fatal attack. And even better it can be used on your fragile allies who don’t have guard dogs.
dboeren - 5 out of 5
Just the thing to save your butts, especially against those big enemies who might be swinging for major damage. Always pack two of these.
mnBroncos - 5 out of 5
For those of you that have played lord of the rings, we got feint back one of the most powerful cards in the game. It is amazing how great this will be to have in your decks.
MightyToenail - 5 out of 5
Feint makes its triumphant return! But in all seriousness, this card should have been at least level two for the kind of protection it brings against ghoul priests and the like.
Ironswimsuit - 5 out of 5
This is almost a free evade, but it works for teammates, too. I wonder if these Fast events which are essentially reactions or interrupts will generate player questions about timing.
MitchG - 5 out of 5
Anyone who has ever played with feint (as has been mentioned by others) has at least a dozen stories of how it saved their quest. Being a campaign mode game, that effect will only be magnified. Can I give it 6 out of 5?
30 out of 30!
Dynamite Blast
Radix - 3 out of 5
This can clear a room when you get swarmed. It is pricey but definitely worth it. It does 3 damage that doesn’t miss, and it hits each and every enemy. If there are 3 or more you are doing 9 damage for only 5 resources. Roland can afford to take a hit from this with his high Health. But there is also synergy with the Skids who can use Elusive to get out of the room while leaving this present.
MitchG - 4 out of 5
The ability to use actions to manufacture resources makes the cost of this much more bearable. Hitting every enemy is a huge bonus, and I can see multiple cases where this card more that proves its worth. The ability to set up the dynamite at connecting locations can make it much safer to enter a new room that is waiting with enemies. The fact hunter enemies can move around a bit and are unlikely to build up too much in the same room is the only reason this card didn’t get a 5 out of me. That being said I thing it also scales in usefulness with the amount of investigators playing, simply because of the increase in encounter cards. Despite the high cost I expect this to be a staple card. **I expect to play primarily solo. With multiple investigators I can see the value going down.
dboeren - 3 out of 5
This CAN be a superstar card, but I wouldn’t expect it to always be one. You need multiple enemies in a single location to justify the cost, you need enough resources to pay for it, and you need to be standing in an adjacent location in order to not be blown up yourself. You also don’t want anyone ELSE on your team in with the monsters. I expect it to be a bit tricky to get it off the way you want to but we’ll see how it goes.
mnBroncos - 4 out of 5
I feel like this will be scenario dependent on how powerful this is, but in the right circumstances this can be the most powerful card in your deck by just clearing out a room.
MightyToenail - 3 out of 5
This could be interesting in combination with Machete. Clear out the weenies to get to the big boss. Definitely worth it, but the price is a little restrictive.
Ironswimsuit - 2 out of 5
If I’ve somehow had the action economy to get extra resources, then why not. I like this for fun casual games, but I don’t know about its actual efficiency. I feel like I’ll always have something better to spend actions and resources than this card.
19 out of 30
Vicious Blow
Radix - 4 out of 5
This gets you extra damage for attacks, simple but elegant. I would make sure to use it only when you are already a bit ahead so that the chance of failure is less than 15%. This is too good to play risky.
dboeren - 4 out of 5
I suspect that the kind of enemies you can feel confident succeeding against will also be the kind that may not need the extra damage, but it’s still a solid booster on a skill you will probably need to use a lot and it’s free.
mnBroncos - 4 out of 5
Not going to complain about extra damage.
MightyToenail - 4 out of 5
I'll take a free booster, even if it won't be needed a lot of times.
Ironswimsuit - 4 out of 5
Sometimes you need to ditch a card to boost a combat test. Sometimes you need to maximize your damage. This is never a dead draw and it can be played with another copy of itself.
MitchG - 4 out of 5
I agree that the ones you are confident about succeeding against probably won’t need the extra damage, but I still think this is worth playing, even in more risky scenarios. With a character like Roland who isn’t going to be evading much, that extra boost and reward are both great for the tougher enemies. What else are you holding it for?
24 out of 30
Extra Ammunition
Radix - 3 out of 5
It gives you more ammo for your good guns. It is cheaper than playing a new copy of any firearm, and you only have one copy of Roland’s .38 Special. It also more than doubles the uses of the Shotgun if you pick it up. Pick this up if you ever have spare XP lying around.
dboeren - 4 out of 5
A dead draw if you don’t have a Firearm out, but otherwise it’s quite efficient. Which basically tells me that this is a conditional card, you’re going to decide up front whether to specialize in Firearms and if you don’t, then leave this card at home. What makes it a 4 rather than a 3 for me is that you can play it on another Investigator at your location which makes it significantly more flexible.
mnBroncos - 2 out of 5
I could be under rating this, but it takes up experience since its level one and is required to have another card in play for it to be any good. Maybe if we get some insane firearm that only gives you one or two ammo then I’d play this but right now I’d rather just play an additional weapon over this. If this free would be one thing but at 2 you aren’t really saving much economy for a more conditional ammo then just another weapon.
MightyToenail - 4 out of 5
This seems like a great card to actually make your guns playable. Well worth the one experience point. Sure it’s a dead draw without a gun, but I’m sure some decks can take good advantage of it.
Ironswimsuit - 3 out of 5
The question is an extra gun, or 2x copies of Extra Ammunition? The next question is do I save this while waiting to draw a gun or do I burn for the icon?
MitchG - 2 out of 5
Not psyched. If guns end up being really good it will work, but even then you need a high commitment level to finding them for this card to get beyond a wasted slot.
18 out of 30
Police Badge
Radix - 4 out of 5
This helps with Will checks as long as you have, and can be a flexible skill card with that Wild icon. Then you can pop it for 2 extra actions for ANY player. You can take 2 more whacks with your machete to kill a troublesome monster, or investigate those final clues to finish the scenario.
dboeren - 4 out of 5
Seems solid, you get willpower and then when you get into a jam you discard it to get yourselves out. It also uses a slot that has little contention yet or can be used to help pass any test with the wild icon. If it’s good enough for Officer Muttonchops there, it’s good enough for me.
mnBroncos - 4 out of 5
Constant boost until you use it when you want for additional actions. I’m very glad it can give yourself extra actions or be a lot worse.
MightyToenail - 3 out of 5
It’s a good card, don’t get me wrong, but I’m not sure it’s worth 2 XP and 3 coins for this little effect. The will boost is nice, and the actions are nice, but nothing screams 2 XP for me.
Ironswimsuit - 4 out of 5
I’m an investigator at my location! Extra actions are great and I can think of worse things to spend EXP on.
MitchG - 4 out of 5
I hear Time Walk was a decent magic card. I’ll be including this for my 2xp quite frequently i expect. It also takes up a slot I don’t picture being as in demand on Roland, which is a plus.
23 out of 30
Beat Cop (advance)
Radix - 5 out of 5
This is a huge upgrade. It can soak up 1 sanity and deal 1 damage per round up to 3 times. And this damage will automatically hit. The only cost is the upfront one you pay when you play it. I will take this as an early upgrade.
dboeren - 5 out of 5
SO much better than the basic version, being able to deal multiple damage and having more health to boot. Ideally I would plan to deal 2 damage with him, soak any horror-only hits, and then throw him under the biggest attack I can find. (Radix: Allies can’t soak more damage than they have left. The rest still hits the investigator.)
mnBroncos - 5 out of 5
Pretty sure this will be first upgrade guardian decks make, the difference between this version and the basic is insane.
MightyToenail - 5 out of 5
This card is just plain awesome. Like on so many levels. I’ll take two copies first thing.
Ironswimsuit - 5 out of 5
Gallant to the level 0’s Goofus. They carried over the one good thing from the level 0 version and made it better; sniping.
MitchG - 5 out of 5
Much much better. Will probably never play the original but will bump this guy in as often as possible.
30 out of 30!
Shotgun
Radix - 2 out of 5
This can do a lot of damage with the proper fuel. I would not use it unless there are enough enemies with 3+ Health to hit. It is expensive and takes up 2 hands, so you can’t use investigative items with it. I would make sure I have 2 copies of Extra Ammunition first, as 2 uses is a very small amount.
dboeren - 3 out of 5
Definitely take Extra Ammunition with this. So ideally you want to hit guys that have a good dose of health, BUT are also low enough combat that you can beat their skill by a lot. That seems… iffy? Any dreams you have of slaughtering bosses with this card are probably just that, but it may be a solid ticket against the middle tier monsters, especially if you’re willing to pitch some cards.
mnBroncos - 2 out of 5
I could see this being a lot lot better. However let's look at the negatives. It has potential to hurt your teammates, only 2 uses unless you play extra ammunition which I am not a fan of, and it takes 4 experience per card. So if you want a playset in your deck you will be spending 8 of your experience on it. It is a fine weapon but I don’t think it is much greater than other options out there.
MightyToenail - 1 out of 5
Just not worth it for only two ammo. Even as a boss killer it fails, because it still needs extra ammunition to work. Not to mention that ridiculous XP cost. Not to mention you can’t use it against that Ghoul Priest in scenario one.
Ironswimsuit - 4 out of 5
As much as I dislike the 5 cost, I like the gambling aspect more. I hope whoever the unlucky player is who gets blasted by a failed test has a good sense of humor. Skill cards can make sure this succeeds, which is why they’re in the deck in the first place. If this card is in the deck, run 2x Extra Ammunition. At 5 cost, 2 hands, level 4, it’s too expensive not to.
MitchG - 2 out of 5
I’ve given each gun and gun related card an absolute crap rating. That maybe says more about me than the actual quality of the cards. That being said I think this is the first one I can see being super useful, but until I see how easy gaining xp is, I’m reluctant to give it anything higher.
15 out of 30
Top 3
Beat Cop (upgrade version) 30 out of 30
Dodge - 30 out of 30
Roland's .38 Special and Evidence - 29 out of 30
Bottom 3
Physical Training - 15 out of 30
Shotgun - 15 out of 30
Beat Cop (level 0 version) - 16 out of 30
Well, I hope you enjoyed our first review and excited for the rest of the series, starting with Mystic next!
- mplain, xRAVEx, MightyToenail and 1 other like this
18 Comments
I wish the actual links were pictures instead
......will be editing sorry
Pictures don't work
Even just the name of the card would be okay I can search it just fine.
Been able to do that just now. For some reason keep getting errors when try to add the images.
Roland's weak stat is not Agility (which is rather unimportant for him, as the reviewers all agree), his biggest weakness is actually his low Sanity of 5. You need to get those 2x Elder Sign Amulets asap!
Physical Training is rated as the worst card. o__O How many of you guys have actually played the game at this point??
First Aid is very cost-ineffective. Bulletproof Vest and Elder Sign Amulet save you 1 more health/sanity, and THREE more clicks. Granted, they cost XP, but swapping 2x First Aid for 2x ESAmulet was the first thing I did when I earned some XP.
Dynamite Blast should be more effective in co-op than in solo, because in solo you often don't have two enemies on the board. @MitchG
Vicious Blow you can use on the big guys too, and Physical Training would help make sure it'll connect.
P.S. I added pics to offset the critique
The alternative is to fail tests.
Physical Training helps me reliably hit bosses with Vicious Strike. Against 5 Fight!
I can spend a click to draw a card, and maybe it'll have a [Combat] icon on it, but more likely it won't. Or I can spend that click to have an assured +1 to Combat.
Or Willpower. Seen that "Test [Willpower] (6)" effect yet?
I haven't spoiled the encounter cards. I kind of see your point, but I still worry that it is too expensive. But isn't there some + tokens in the old bag?
you're my hero
I have not played the game yet, or even seen any of the encounter cards. My critique is somewhat theoretical.
I probably have underestimated Physical Training, but that is because I think Hyperawareness works better for Roland, he already has good combat. The cost feels a bit much for me, but it will probably be worth it.
I think the benefit of First Aid is that it can help your allies as well like Daisy.
Your allies should help themselves and pack some Vests and Amulets too
Roland needs Hyperawareness even less, because he hardly ever needs to evade something (there's that one treachery card that checks Agility, but that's about it), and he gains most of his clues without ever investigating.
Guardians have their ally and hand slots pretty much full, that's why I think police badge is currently a 4/5 card. Having a card in your deck that fills up an unused slot is better than drawing a dead card(2nd gun/machete/beatcop). I'm not saying comparatively police badge is better than any of those cards, but if you look at your entire kit for guardians, the badge isnt detrimental in any way and should be a one-include minimum until new cards come out. Also, two actions for anyone is a 5/5 ability for any card. It is a problem solving card 100% of the time and those are the best for any deck.
Double post so sure me lol.
I'd like to hear people talk a little more about skill check icons on some cards. (Especially double icons of the same type or random icons with should be valued even more.) Remember skill checks are the bread and butter of this game, so valuing cards on a little more than text and cost is worth doing.
Thanks for agreeing with us on Police Badge, forger! We, or at least I, do take skill icons as a factor in the rating. Skill icons would probably be a bigger factor in ratings if drawing cards were less expensive (draw effects non-withstanding). Now, we are going to "sure" you for everything you owrn.
Most of us haven't played it yet, that was kind of the point. Core box reviews are always going to be off when you are guessing and intentionally haven't spoiled the campaigns yet.
To be clear I think I accidentally put that comment on the wrong card, but I have no idea which card I meant now. I also said in that cards review that I think it scales in usefulness with the amount of investigators, and I meant scales up as in it goes to a 5 when playing with more than 1 or 2 investigators.
I think the first big lesson people will be surprised to learn with Roland is that he is most definitely not a tank. The best tank in the game, if we only look at the durability scores, is Wendy, because her stats are the most even, and monsters tend to eat both sides of you at once. Wendy will survive two rounds longer against the average monster that she cannot defeat than Roland will (who will be driven insane long before Wendy is eaten).